Started in Rome then made an unscheduled stop up North in Milan...On my way back down to Rome, I stopped in Cinque Terre on the west coast. After that, I made my way south to Napoli.
Naples is one of my favorite places in Italy. Everyone I had met complained about it being dirty or the people being sketchy...Of course, I ended up loving it. I thought the people there were amazing.
Look at these kids in the street...I met them one night when walking through the city and we had got to know each other as we talked about my new favorite futbol team...Inter...
A few days later, I was walking down the street and heard someone yell ''Americano!'' I turned around and of course, it was my friend and one of the boys I had met the other night, Andrea. This is exactly why I loved Naples, all the energy of the people in the town like Andrea that gave it that special quality.
Also made a quick pit-stop in Pompeii where you caught glimpses of life back in the day, which really doesn't seem to different from life today. Here's a picture of a dog mosaic in front of a house which reads ''Beware of Dog'' in Latin.
After Naples, I made it to Sicily where I stayed in Catania for a few days with a family friend on a Naval base. That was an experience in itself, it was relaxing to pretty much be in a bizarro-America for a few days. We did spend some time in the fish market in Catania, where you see things like a whole Swordfish getting wheeled through the market on a cart.
Next, I made my way to a little island off the north coast of Sicily, Ustica, where I got my diving certification and the water is the clearest in the world...
And then made my way back to the main island where I hung out in Palermo and tasted some of the best traditional Sicilian foods...Anrancina (balls of meat and rice) and Canoli.
I also saw some of the familiar sights from the Godfather series in Palermo...like the Opera House in the background here...
After seeing the Valley of the Temples (and not much else) in Agrigento, I made my way back to the shadow of Mount Etna in Catania before moving on to Lecce.
Lecce is in the hell of the boot of Italy and isn't a real big American tourist spot. But I loved it. This is the only town that I walked into without any reservations as to where I would sleep. In fact, I didn't know where I'd look for accomodations either. I walked off the train with my bags and slowly made my way through the center of town towards the information center. And man, it paid off. Fabio, the tourist center guide, was very helpful and cool. I got a place in Lecce in the center of town for pretty cheap and spent the next day getting to know the nice people and the artistic attitude in the cleanest city in Italy. This is also the town where I feel like my Italian improved the most, as I was staying by myself in a town in the south where I was possibly the only American at the time.
And after Lecce, I made my way back up north to Florence, through Bologna (Ducati factory). After spending a week there with a daytrip to Sienna to watch Il Palio, I made my way back to Milan where I'm staying with an old friend for a few days before I leave for Spain.
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